Tinubu appoints Wasiu Olanrewaju-Smart as SA on National Assembly matters
President Bola Tinubu has appointed Dr Wasiu Olanrewaju-Smart as Special Adviser to the President on National Assembly Matters (House of Representatives), replacing Hon. Ibrahim Olanrewaju, who resigned to contest an elective office in his home state.
The appointment, which takes immediate effect, was announced on Sunday in a statement by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.
Before his appointment, Olanrewaju-Smart served as Senior Special Assistant to the President on Intergovernmental Affairs, a position he assumed in October 2023.
He has built an extensive career in legislative affairs, serving as Research and Media Assistant to the Minority and Majority Leaders of the House of Representatives during the 7th and 8th Assemblies. He later held the positions of Special Adviser, Deputy Chief of Staff and Chief of Staff to the Speaker of the House of Representatives in the 9th and 10th Assemblies.
The Presidency described the 40-year-old as “an accomplished scholar and public policy expert” with a PhD in Educational Management from Lead City University and a Master’s degree in Public Administration from Harvard University, where he was an Edward Mason Fellow in Public Policy.
He was also a LEAPS Fellow at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), holds a professional diploma in Public Relations from the London School of Public Relations, and served as a Policy Fellow at Quantum Alliance AI in the United States, focusing on artificial intelligence and civic technology.
According to the statement, Olanrewaju-Smart’s public policy research has contributed to several landmark legislations, including the Interest-Free Student Loan Act.
Expressing confidence in the appointment, the Presidency said, “President Tinubu is confident that Olanrewaju-Smart will use his experience, intellect, and commitment to strengthening legislative coordination and relations between the Presidency, MDAs and the House of Representatives.”
